This will be an interactive session on the topic: "Wish Three Changes for a Better World." If you could realize three wishes to change the world for the better, what would they be? For example, Heng Sure would wish for: a plant-based diet in schools and hospitals, and in the military; more public role models for strong and kind fatherhood; and transforming television into a subsidized, non-commercial medium. We will discuss possible ways to realize the changes we seek.

As always, the Dharma will be lively, the tea will be outstanding, the songs will be catchy and the puppets will amuse you!

So what's an Echidna? It's an hedgehog-like, spiky Australian mammal that's born from an egg and probably lives under your porch if you live in Australia. Unhappily named after a Greek mythological creature known as the "Mother of All Monsters," the echidna isn't monstrous at all. He's downright cute, shy and a bit mysterious, because they live for up to sixty years but refuse to breed in captivity and are probably the most common crawling mammal you've never heard of. We got the low-down on the echidna yesterday at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, got some quality time with two boy echidnas and got some footage and snaps (and a hand puppet!)

Brian White, President of the Buddhist Council of New South Wales, his wife Lay-lan and daughter Karina invited our small delegation to his house in Sydney after the MITRA conference to talk about the growth of the Dharma in Australia. He mentioned that the Theravada tradition from Sri Lanka and Thailand is well represented, as is the Tibetan tradition, but that the Mahayan, particularly the Chinese Mahayana is hard to find, and particularly hard to find in English. Brian expressed his appreciation for the teachings of Master Hsuan Hua and Master Xuyun (Empty Cloud) and we explored possibilities for expanding access to the Mahayana Dharma in Australia.

MITRA is a network of Buddhist youth organizations in Australia. Their goal is to connect young people to the Dharma. Every year their annual conference draws Sangha members and laity from across the globe to Sydney for a weekend of talks, practice and presentations. This year, in response to Buddhism's popularity in Australia, together with the Buddhist Council of New South Wales, MITRA expanded the conference to include an entire month of activities. Buddhist Festival Month. This ambitious project brings together the conference, a film festival, multiple Buddha's Birthday/Wesak festivals, and cultural events from different Buddhist communities in Australia. This festival lends credence to the claim that Buddhism is Australia's fastest-growing religion.

As I passed through the turnstile at the Brisbane airport, Agent Sharma of Australian Immigration looked at my letter of acceptance and said, "Yew can sty forevah now, if yew like!" With that welcome I became an Australian Immigrant at 10:30 AM on April 27th, 2010. Not that I'm leaving California behind, but that I'm going to be teaching Dharma in Oz more often. I hope to stay in Australia for two to three months per year from now on. Buddhism is the fastest-growing religion here, and I hope to make a contribution. (photo of Uluru - Ayer's Rock - by David Ponedel)